Slip-cover



p 15, 5 E. B. SAUNDERS 2,904,104

SLIP-COVER 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed. 0d. s, 1956 INVENTOR. EDWARD B. SAUNDERS BY Salmon agent Sept. 15, 1959 E. B. SAUNDERS 2,904,104

SLIP-COVER F iled Oct. 3, 1956 v 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG] FIG. 5

IN VEN TOR. EDWARD B. SAUNDERS BY yaw ayent' United States Patent SLIP-COVER Edward B. Saunders, Toronto, Ontario, Canada Application October 3, 1956, Serial No. 613,671 4 Claims. 01. 1'ss -1sz The invention relates to ready-made slip-covers for such upholstered furniture as sofas, divans, davenports, chairs and so forth which are equipped with arms. For Want of better terminology, the word settee is herein employed as a generic definition of the upholstered furniture contemplated by the invention.

More particularly, the invention is chiefly concerned with means for slip-covering the arms of such furniture.

On account of being mass produced, prefabricated or ready-made slip-covers are considerably less expenslve than custom-made slip-covers which latter, are tailored in each individual case to precisely fit the furniture for which they are intended. Conversely, the unprepossessing and wrinkled appearance that usually characterizes the factory made slip-cover-in use, of course-has hitherto deleteriously affected the market therefor.

The indifferent fit of prior prefabricated slip-covers is the product of two hitherto irreconcilable situations, namely; the very numerous variations in furniture design on the one hand and manufacturing expediency on the other.

The seating facilities of a settee must necessarily adhere to an established set of dimensional standards which are predetermined by the size of the human frame and of the respective parts thereof. For example, the height of a seat, its depth from front to back, and its width from side to side per intended occupant are amongst the established dimensions of such furniture. In addition, there is also some limitation in the altitude of the plateaus or arm-rests at the tops of the arms all of which, in effect, constitute what might be called the interior dimensions of a settee and which mustnot be significantly varied. In consequence, the design variations above noted are necessarily restricted in applicability mainly to the exterior surfaces of the settee and usually take such forms as, for instance, lengthening of the arms (from front to back) thickening of the arms, contouring of the exterior or outer surfaces of the arms, increasing the height of the back rest, and so forth.

Each of these design expedients is productive of dimensional deviations which have hitherto made it practically impossible for a single slip-cover to have universal applicability to more than a very few types of settees; assuming a proper fit to be the objective.

Conversely, if the economic benefits of mass production are to be preserved, it is not possible for a manufacturer of ready-made slip-covers to produce the multitudinous models which would be required to fit all types of settees; most manufacturers therefore limiting themselves to only a few, as a compromise, and relying on the users to fit them to the furniture itself as best they can.

It will thus be clear from the foregoing that one of the main and more important requirements of the prefabricated slip-cover industry is a slip-cover construction embodying arm covers which are adaptable to a wide range of arm lengths,'thicknesses and contours and which can fit the said arms relatively smoothly and snugly;

'2 the inter-arm portion of the slip-cover being of minor concern in view of the relatively constant interior dimensions of settees.

A main object of the invention is therefore to provide a prefabricated slip-cover incorporating arm covers meeting the foregoing requirements.

Prior arm covers were usually provided in the form of hoods within which the arms were intended to be accommodated. In contra-distinction thereto, the invention seeks to provide an arm cover which is adapted to be wrapped around the arm of a settee and which is therefore shiftable about the said arm to adapt itself to the length and thickness thereof.

The invention further contemplates a covering piece for the plateau of the arm in the form of a flap which is also adaptable to thick or thin arms.

A further object of the invention is to provide anchorage for the terminal portions of the arm covers rendering the latter capable of conforming to a special contouring of the arm.

A still further object is to provide ornamentation for the arm cover which will effectively conceal the adjustable character thereof and bring it closer in appearance to a tailored article.

The objects of the invention are achieved, in part, by forming an expandable casing providing coverage for the exterior surfaces of the settee, including the outer surfaces of thearms, the front wall of the seat bed and the back of the settee; the coverings for the inner surfaces and plateaus of the arms being in the form of oversize flaps so arranged and designed that the excess material included therein may be concealed either in the settee itself or under other parts of the slip-cover. The covering for the seating facilities of the settee may be attached, if desired, to the marginal portions of the covers for the inner arm surfaces and/or to the front wall covering portion aforesaid without appreciably restricting the adjustable nature thereof.

Further and other objects of the invention, more or less broad than the foregoing will be apparent from the hereinafter following description of the elements, parts and principles constituting the invention, a preferred embodiment whereof is illustrated by way of'example only in the hereunto annexed drawing wherein like refer ence devices refer to like parts and wherein:

Fig. 1 is an isometrical view showing the front and right side of a settee-in this case, a chair-dre ssed in the instant slip-cover; portions of the latter being torn away to reveal hidden structural details thereof.

Fig. 2an isometrical view of the same chair showing its back and right side;

Fig. 3 is a front elevational view of portions of the instant slip-cover designed to cover the exterior surfaces of the chair;

Fig. 4a section along the line IVIV- in Fig. 1 through the arms and back rest of the chair in a plane parallel to the seat;

Fig. 5 is a section along the line VV of Fig. 1 through one arm of the chair shown in Fig. l in a plane parallel to the back rest of the chair;

Fig. 6a fragmentary rear elevational view of a portion of the instant slip cover in place on a chair having a different contour than that shown in Figures 1 and 2, and

Fig. 7a spread-out and torn-open view of the cover of Figure 3. V

The foregoing views show the slip-cover as loosely fitted about the chair C. Obviously this is only for clarity; the actual fit being more or less skin-tight.

With further reference to the drawing and as indicated therein, the slip-cover S selected for the exemplary purposes of this specification is for an armchairC of'average' Patented Sept. 15, 1959 size illustrated "isometrically in Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings; it being understood, of'course, that the structural elements hereinafter recited and the inventive prinjuncturesjof these parts, the cushioning thereover forms, resilient, expandable pockets into which excess slip-cover.

fabric can be tuckedandv frictionally, retainedjin a .wellknown'and customary way.

The present slip-cover S is essentially composed of the casinglflv appearingin Figure 3 and acentralspread 11jfor the backrest R and seat bed .B of the chair C which comprise, ash-as, been said, the seating facilities of the chair C.

Inthe torn-openview of Figure 7, it will be noted that the casing10 is comprised of a pairof outer panels 12- lZjwhich are tensioned and drawn towards each other. at the back of the chair C by means such as, for example, the illustrated backdrop 13 which will be more specifically-describ'ed, and are further linked attheir frontends byan apron 14; the whole providing coveragefor the, exterior surfaces of the chair C, namely, the outer surfaces ofjhev arms AA, the baekof the. chair C and the front wallofthe seat bed B. The back drop 13 is formed of stretchable material whereby the casing is adapted to be expanded to conform to the perimetrical size of the settee on which it is used.

To provide coverage for the inner surfaces of the-arms AA, an inner panel .15 is associated with each outer panel 12 as an endwise continuation thereof above the apron 14, which is alsoan endwise continuation of the outer pane1'12. The inner panel 15 being fastened by only one of its sides, it assumes the character of a flap. In -its turn, said inner panel 15 also carries a: plateau flap 16foonstituted by anupward extension thereof which is adapted to provide coverage for. the plateau 17 of the annAritbeingwide enough so thatits terminal or free end portion 18 maybe folded to underlie the outer panel to a greater or; lesser extent, according to the thickness of.the arm A. The length of the plateauflap 16 is approximately-equal to that of the outer panel 12 .between the inner panel 15 and the backdrop 13. As shown in Fig, 7 the plateau flap 16 is attached by-one of its sides only to the full length of the inner panel 15 and extends beyond it to approximately equal the length of the outer panel 12 as stated. (In Figs. 1 and 3, howeventhe forward part ofthe plateau flap 16 is shown in ghost form but it will be understood that this portion is normally folded down and tucked undenthe outer panel 12 in the same way as the remainder.)

' When the casing is properly fitted on the chair C, the apron-14 will be centered over the front wall of the seat bed B and the inner panels 15 will be tautened over the inner surfaces of the arms A+A; the excess inner panel fabric being tucked and frictionally retained between each arm A and seat bed B and also in the pocket between each arm A and the back rest R.

Each plateau flap 16 will then be draped over a plateau 17 with its free end 18 sandwiched between the associated outer panel 12 and the arm A.

line alongwhich the apron 1-4'and inner panel 15 merge;with the outer panel '12 may be defined by welt 20 which is preferably continued along the upper edge 21 ofthesaid outer .panel 12..

. .In-the rawi gie c 'smd welt 20 s entered on, th

. 4; and outer surfaces. Ideally, said welt 20 should lie on the inner corner of the said front end and, in fact, that is the position which it will most likely occupy if the settee is a chair having a standard inter-arm width in which event the length of the apron 14 will also be more or less standard.

Standard sofas, on the other hand may vary from each other by, say, six inchesin inter-arm length and in such case the said welt 20 may. conceivably move to the illustrated position which has been selected to demonstrate the versatility of the invention. Thus, in actual fact, the welt 20 may. fall anywhere on the frontendof an arm A and may, in fact even encroach on the outer surface thereof without detractingfrom the appearance of the slipcover S on the furniture.

One important advantage gained from this expedient is that diffused tension is thus applied to the outer panels 12.-12 .in numerous independent horizontal planes which enables, the outer panels 12-12,.t0 adapt themselves and to conform to the contouring of the outer arm surface substantially as shown in Fig. 6.

The; spread 11 for. the seating. facilities of the chair C may be joined to the apron 14 and/onto theinner panels 15...15.if so desired.-

What I claim as my invention is:

1. In a ready-made slip-cover for an upholsteredsette'e having seating facilities comprised of a back rest and a seatbed and at least one arm at theside of said seating facilities; an outer: panel for the outer surface of 'the said arm; anapron for the front wall of said seat bed formed-by a lower endwise continuation of said outer panel; resilient means for tensing said aprQn cross, said seat bed, and a pair of flaps associated with said outer panel, one said flap being. anendwise continuation of said outer panel above said apron andproviding an inner panel for the inner surface of said arm, the other of said flaps having one of its sides attachedto one of, the panels aforesaid, the remaining sides being free, and forming an upward extension of the said panel, approximately. equal in length to thesaid outer panel, and of substantial width enabling itto cover the plateau of the arm and to befolded to underlie the other offsaid panels.

2. In a ready-made slip-cover for an upholstered. settee having seating facilities comprised of a back rest and a seat bed and at least one arm at the side of said seating facilities, an outer'panel for the outer. surface of the said arm; an apron for the front wall of said seat bed formed by a lower endwise continuation of said outer panel; a pair of flaps associated with said outer. panel, one said flap being an endwise continuation of said outer panel above said apron and providing aninner panel for the inner surface of said arm, the other of said flaps havingone of its sides attached to one of the panels afore said, the remaining sides being free, and formingan-upward extension of the said panel, approximately equal in length to the said outer panel, and of substantial width enabling it to cover the plateau of the arm and to, be folded to underlie the other of said panels, and resilient means fortensing said outer panel and apron respectively across saidarm and seat bed connected to said outer panel and being adapted to apply diffusedtension thereto in numerous independent horizontal planes.

3. In a ready-made slip-cover for an upholstered settee having seating facilities comprise of a back rest anda seat bed and arms at the sides of said seating facilities, a pair of outer panels for the outer surfaces of said arms; an apron for the front wall of the seat bed interconnecting said outer panels by their front ends; resilient means at the rear ends of said outer panels for tensing said apron across said seat bed, and a pair of flaps associated with each said outer panel, one of said pair of flaps beingan endwise continuation of the said outer panel abovesaid apron and providing an inner panel for the inner surface ofisaid arm, the other said ,flap; having one of its sides attached to one of the panels. aforesaid, the, remaining sides being free, and forming an upward tension of the said panel, approximately equal in length to the said outer panel, and of substantial width enabling it to cover the plateau of the arm and to be folded to underlie the other of said panels.

4. In a ready-madeslip-cover for an upholstered settee having seating facilities comprised of a back rest and a seat bed and at least one arm at the side of said seating facilities, an outer panel for the outer surface of said arm; an apron for the front wall of said seat bed formed by a lower endwise continuation of said outer panel; tensing means having numerous closely spaced elastic filaments incorporated therein attached to said outer panel and adapted to apply tension thereto in numerous independent horizontal planes; an inner panel for the inner surface of the arm constituted by an endwise continuation of said outer panel above said apron; a welt over the meeting margins of said inner panel, apron and outer panel, and continued along the upper edge of the outer panel, and a flap attached by one of its sides to said inner panel the remaining sides being free, and forming an upward extension of the said inner panel approximately equal in length to the outer panel and having substantial width enabling it to cover the plateau of the arm and to be foldable to underlie said outer panel.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,825,909 Levi Oct. 6, 1931 2,459,328 Lenz Jan. 18, 1949 2,793,684 Foxman May 28, 1957 

